Wedding Bolero Update

A little update... Yet another post that has been wasting away in my drafts folder.

The bolero was finished with time to spare before the wedding. The bride seemed happy though I had a sneaking suspicion from the beginning that she wouldn't need wear it despite her fears of being cold on her big day. There's just too much excitement and dancing to be done to bother being cold and I was right. Because I was so right and because the bolero was taken to its home only minutes after it received its final press I have no pictures of the final project. Not yet anyway. Once I have them I will share them here with you. Can I say the project was a success? Considering the amount of time I had to create it I'd say 'yes'. Would I make changes being the finicky designer that I am? 'Of course'. Did the bride seem happy regardless? 'Yes'. Is that all that matters? 'Yes'. Am I okay with that? 'Trying to be.'

Until next time,

claire lynette

Pink Pants!

That two week long hiatus? Three week hiatus (after having this post in drafts for ages). Definitely not intended this time. So my sincerest apologies. Horrendous weather and an even more horrendous illness kept me from you. The skies are a little brighter and I'm feeling much, much better.

I finished the pink pants well before my birthday only to have my birthday plans canceled thanks to a little sleet, ice, and snow... Ahem, but festivities were postponed to the following weekend and much fun was had. I don't have any pictures of my pants from that night so I restyled them here for you today. I'll do a proper review of the pattern in another post but for now let's just say Simplicity did several things right.  Here they are in all their bifurcated glory!

Sweater, Mossimo, Target; Earrings, Forever21; Pants, pattern by Simplicity 1696, sewn by me; Pumps, "Faryl" by Delman

Wig, "Mommy", Janet Collection

Weather: High 76º, Low 60ºF. Overcast, breezy.

Until next time,

claire lynette

Finished Project | Lingerie Bag

Materials: polyester taffeta, upholstery rope cord, tassels, polyester wrapped cotton thread, polyester lace trim

There are more pre-wedding customs these days than I ever knew about. One in particular: the lingerie shower. Is this a new thing? As in the last 15 years new? I have no idea but it is a cute idea. Kind of a mix between a bachelorette party and a bridal shower. Perhaps that's how they were born. At any rate since I can ill afford to buy nice lingerie for anyone including myself, I thought the next best thing was to make something. I decided a lingerie bag would fit the bill. I could have have used materials I already had on hand but that would just go against my nature. Essentially, I felt nothing I had in my stash was quite right at least not for this bride. It went over well at the party and all of the ladies in attendance encouraged me to make more to sell online. I'm considering the idea.

Construction is simple and I can make a tutorial for you if you'd like. Just leave a note down in the comment section and I'll start on it right away. It is patternless and an easy 2-hour project for someone with basic sewing skills. The material I chose makes it an easy care bag. All it ever needs is spot cleaning.

Wishing you a beautiful start to your week.

Until next time,

claire lynette

Simple Beaded Necklace and Bracelet

This is the necklace and bracelet I made that I mentioned buying supplies for in the last post. The necklace is very simple construction: tie a knot to a closure, tie a knot around the fist bead, string the beads, tie a knot around the last closure, snip the excess cord, and ta-da! The bracelet is even simpler: beads strung on a stretch jewelry cord to the desired length, knotted three times, cut the excess cord, tuck the knot inside a bead and ta-da! My mother liked my necklace so much she asked me to make another one in a 20" length for her.

For supplies and pattern info follow the link below.

I hope your October is getting off to a lovely start and that your week is going well. Until next time,

claire lynette

Casual Weekend Layered Tunics

Protecteive Hair Style: Cross French Braids

Tunic, Target; Dress, H&M; Sandals, Gianni Bini; Earrings, old and unknown; Bracelet, made by me

Lip Color: NYC Big Bold Lip Gloss in "Extra Large Latte"

Nails: Orly in "Liquid Vinyl";  on toes Cover Girl Outlast Stay Brilliant Glosstinis in "Sangria 515"

Weather: High 83ºF; Low 69ºF. Cloudy and pleasant.

I wore this yesterday to run a few errands including stopping off at the library and rummaging around the craft store for a bead sale. I was bored by my closet today until I saw two belts wrapped together. Each f these garments came with its own belt so I intertwined them and wore them together. I think it looks quite nice not to mention super comfortable. I wanted very much  a black necklace to finish it off but didn't have one (I've never remembered to look for one before when I went shopping despite always kicking myself for not having one when I need it) so that became the inspiration for what to look for at the bead sale. I also picked up a few other supplies for some other projects I have in mind that I'll share with you later. I almost wore high heel wedges but didn't because I didn't feel like being 6'3" today.

Now even though it's technically fall as you can see the weather is anything but and won't be for a few more weeks. I can so see translating this outfit to cooler weather with leggings and booties and perhaps even a fun vest with an undershirt or sweater underneath it all to help keep warm.

Hoping your weekend was pleasant and wishing you a beautiful start to your new week!

Until next time,

claire lynette  

Wear to Brunch: Playing in Hibiscus

Crispin, "I will photo bomb you and there is NOTHING you can do about it."

Blouse, Old Navy; Pants, made by yours truly; Wedges, Paprika "Garzon" Wedges; Coin Necklace, flea market; Plate Necklace, Liz Claiborne; Earrings, Target (from long ago)
Lip Gloss: NYC Big Bold Gloss in "Extra Large Latte"
Today's Weather: High 93º; Low 73ºF. Sunny, bright, beautiful, and hot!

Yesterday, I wore this outfit to a lovely brunch in honor of my Uncle's birthday. Naturally, I try to wear something that feels as close to pajamas as I possibly can because all I want to do on a lazy Sunday morning is crawl back in bed. Unless, of course, there are Belgian waffles promised, then I'll get right up. Threw on these ultra comfy floral print pants and a simple blouse and BAM! Outfit that feels like pajamas. Braided my hair because I didn't feel like combing it, add some earrings so they distract from my puffy sleepy eyes, swipe on the nearest lip gloss and BAM! Brunch ready. This is one of my "pre-picked" outifts in my closet; something that I know will work no matter if I'm feeling, fat, ugly, frumy, gross, weird, or whatever. I put it on and I can dig just about anything because I didn't have to think about what in the hey-ho I was going to wear = less stress.

---

My schedule has been so hectic lately that I haven't had time to sit down to create very much and that was driving me as nutty as an Almond Joy candy bar. However, I'm armed with a brand new schedule to keep me focused and it includes designing, pattern making and sewing time albeit for small projects, but I'll take what I can get. Why am I so busy? I opened an online clothing store. --- OH YES I DID! I'm tickled pink. You can visit it here: Thorn & Laurel. I'll gush more about it later but to say that I'm over the moon excited about the possibilities being my own boss and running a store can bring is an understatement at best.

About the pants: For those sewing/fashion/construction nerds like me I will definitely have a post all about the process of how I made these pants (from sketch, to pattern, to final product) but in summation: I've had this fabric for about four years and it was intended to be a lot of different things that I eventually lost enthusiasm for. I can always use more pants and so here we are. Technically this is not garment fabric as it is made for quilting, but it works for these casual and easy summer pants and I wanted flower pants damn it. I lowered the pockets "just to see" what it'd be like; it's odd but is nice with my frame. I'll get all technical later.

I hope you're living out the last few weeks of summer to the max and that there is great peace and joy coming your way.

Until next time,

claire lynette

Circle Back Around

 

 

 

Blouse, WetSeal; Skirt, made by me; Belt and Jewelry, Forever21; Purse, Urban Outfitters; Sandals, "Garzon" by Paprika

Today's Weather: High, 91; Low 74 degrees Fahrenheit. Sunny. Humid.

Feeling inspired, fresh, and decently rested. Welcome back everyone.

All for now,

claire lynette

A Little More Blue

 

 

Jacket, Vogue 8398 (view B w/ collar, sewn by me); Dress and Earrings, Forever21, Necklace, Frock Candy (very old), Clutch, Express; Shoes, vintage from mom's closet.

Today's Weather: High, 84; Low 59 degrees Fahrenheit. Very sunny, bright

I didn't mean to be a bit dressy today. I was hesitant to wear my little jacket here because it's a bit on the dressy side, but I figured, "What the hey! I'll wear what I want to." I made it maybe two or three years ago but never wore it mainly because I was lazy and hadn't yet slip stitched the center front facings down (that's the inside fabric where the jacket opens, I wear mine like lapels). This morning I decided it must be worn today, I can't tell you why, and finished the lapels in just a few minutes. It's made out of a light blue crisp linen fabric that has a silver metallic glaze on top. I thought it was pretty unique seeing as how I bought the fabric from one of those chain fabric/craft stores where selection is usually very limited.

I had a lot of fun today running around town in this beautiful Spring weather today and plan to enjoy more of it tomorrow. Hope the weather has been treating you right where you live!

All for now,

claire lynette

Autobots, Roll Out!

 

 

 

Hat, unknown; Tank, Bella, trendyblanks.com; Skirt, made by me; Sandals, Gianni Bini, Dillard's, Necklace, made from a keychain, gift from a friend

Today's Weather: High, 84, Low 61 degrees Fahrenheit. Humid and sunny with clouds.

I know I went crazy with color for one whole day, but you must forgive me. I rolled out of bed to meet a friend for lunch and was still under the fog from a Benadryl induced nap. I grabbed the easiest thing out of my closet, couldn't find my favorite sunglasses, and spent ten frantic minutes looking for my keys before discovering them hanging delicately from my car trunk lock. It's been one of those days. I did however find the time to dig out my Optimus Prime necklace that I received as a birthday present two years ago. My inner nerd-geek (I have a dosage of both) is showing but I am proud to wear a figure of my future baby daddy around my neck. I've got no shame; besides someone might think it's some "tribal" influenced piece anyway...whatever that means.

All for now,

claire lynette

Fresh Prints of the Deep South

 

Blazer, Aryn K, Dillards; Tunic, made by me; Pants, delias; Shoes, Enzo Angiolini; Bag, Francesca's Collections; Belt, Stein Mart; Ring, unknown, Earring Studs, Forever21

Todays Weather: High, 82, Low 58 degrees Fahrenheit. Cloudy and humid.

This should be proof that I do like color! I've noticed and remarked in previous posts that I've been wearing a lot of black and gray lately. Well, I'm still wearing black, but it helps keep this look from veering into psychedelic territory. It stayed around 60 degrees most of the day and so the jacket was necessary for my delicate sensibilities, but it shot up to 80 in no time and the jacket got to be a bit much; you can see that my make-up is taking a  trip to southern territories. Still, the weather around here is getting more agreeable, just yesterday and all last week it had been raining seemingly non-stop - hence no outfit photos as of late.

You may notice these photos look a bit crisper than usual and it's all thanks to a new 50mm lens. I'm really happy with how things are turning out. Now, if only I didn't live in Dullsville, USA and had better scenery than my house to shoot in. I drove around a bit today to see if I could find a quaint park or something; as you can see I am still in my driveway.

All for now,

claire lynette